


The Bitter Aftertaste of Coffee and How You Made It Go Away

by Keithedral



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Humor, I'm terrible at titles, Keith likes cake, M/M, Not Beta Read, a few bad words, and summaries, my wonderful art as well added in here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 17:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9913886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keithedral/pseuds/Keithedral
Summary: Keith hates coffee. So why is he chugging bitter coffee.





	

Look, Keith didn’t just not like coffee, he hated it. It had a bitter aftertaste that practically contaminates anything he eats afterwards. And he could just taste the bitterness of coffee in the smell alone.

“Add sugar.” His brother has told him before. But a thousand packets of sugar plus creamer, milk, and anything else you would add into coffee, and it still tastes bitter. Nothing will get rid of that, or the bitter aftertaste of it.

So, why was Keith standing in front of Altea Coffee Shop? He looks down at his phone.

Shiro: Meet me at 7 am, you’ll like this place.

Has Shiro lost his mind? There is no way that, him, Keith, coffee hater extraordinaire, would like a coffee shop. He swears that Shiro got the address wrong, but through the window, he sees Shiro waving at him.

Keith glares at him through the window, shaking his head slowly. Shiro’s face loses it’s patience and waves for Keith to come in. He sighs, and looks down at the street, considering making a break for it, but… Shiro does say he needs to get out of the house more… and he would just scold Keith about not doing anything with his life.

Well, not literally, Shiro too nice of a person to do that, but that’s what it feels like.

So, this is how Keith finds himself bracing himself to walk through a door for a coffee shop. Just as the door cracks open, his sense of smell is assaulted by coffee. He turns his head and takes a deep breath and holds it. He, however, does resist the urge to squeeze his eyes shut, which Keith blames on the colors in this place. Nothing matches; Blue, Yellow, Green, Red, and Black fill this place. The waiters each have a different colored uniform. Keith finds himself doubting Shiro yet again.

It’s not that hard to find him though. It is quite small, and Keith could see where Shiro was in the window, and his premature white hair, scar, and a prosthetic arm, make him easy to find. Keith tries to make a point with how much he hates it here, by glaring and angrily walking over and sitting down with as much grace as a plane crash.

“Well, I’m glad you could make it.”

Keith glares, “I’m not.” After a few moments of a silent staring contest between the two of them, they are interrupted.

A large man, with a yellow uniform stands in front of the table. “Can I take your order?” He asks, giving off the friendliest of vibes.

“Cake.” Keith didn’t even bother to look at the menu, but if Shiro thinks that he will like this place, then is must have cake.

The yellow man and Keith stare at each other for a few seconds until the waiter asks him, “What kind of cake?”

“Err… Whatever you recommend…”

“Okay, I recommend the Coco pine cake. That alright?” Coco pine cake? What? “It’s coconut and pineapple. I have a gut feeling that you would like it.”

“O-oh okay, Yeah that’s good.”

Shiro thankfully stops the awkwardness with his order, “I’ll have the Optimum Level of Crappuccino.”

Keith just decides to assume that this place has weird names for all of its products. The waiter leaves and practically comes right back with what they ordered.

“Yeah, it looks like a three year old in ms paint made that cake, but it tastes fine.” The waiter said upon returning. “Just come back on a day that I’m in the kitchen, and I can get you a much better cake than that.”

“I heard THAT!” Came from the Kitchen, a handsome man said standing in the door, before going back to work.

The large yellow hunk leans in to whisper to Keith, “Just ask if Hunk is in the kitchen before ordering.” Keith gulps and nods. He is already getting roped into coming back before he even decides if he likes the food here.

Keith braces himself for the cake. It doesn’t look the most appetizing, but he’s pretty sure Hunk wouldn’t lie to him. He takes a piece of the cake on a spork and takes a deep breath.

Okay, so the cake is really fucking _good_. Yeah it looks like shit, but the taste? _Mcfucking heaven_. He has no idea why or how.

“So?” Oh yeah the waiter Hunk probably wants to know how it was, “How was it?”

Keith savors the taste of the cake for a few seconds, “It was great.” In the most monotone voice ever Hunk has ever heard.

Hunk, however, does not sense the seriousness in Keith’s voice, “My next kitchen shift is on Thursday, starts at Noon, come by then.”

Keith just shrugs and continues eating the cake. If Hunk didn’t bake this cake, and if it’s better than this? Keith might just start praying to the gods. He isn’t even religious, but the cake at this place could make him start believing.

Hunk leaves them to their orders. “Keith.” Shiro says to ,well, Keith.

“What. I was being serious.”

“People think you’re being sarcastic when you speak with a monotone voice like that.”

Keith just shrugs. “Whatever.”

 

* * *

 

Keith comes back that Thursday for a late lunch. He takes a seat in the spot where him and Shiro were at last time, but without Shiro. After a quick look at the menu, Keith knows what cake he’s getting. The Juniberry Cake seems to be like a mixed berry according to the description.

“Hey, I’ll make a deal with you,” A waiter dressed in blue sets a steaming cup of coffee on the table, “If you can drink this cup of coffee without showing any emotion, I’ll pay for whatever you order.”

“Oka-“

“BUT, If you do react to the coffee, you have to go on a date with me.” The waiter finishes off with a grin.

Keith looks up at the waiter’s nametag. It reads ‘Lance’ in messy handwriting. Keith hasn’t seen him working the waiter shift before. Then he looks back up at Lance’s face, and considers the offer. Going on a date with Lance wouldn’t be THAT bad, and he is pretty cute.

Keith grabs the coffee cup and he can feel it burning through the cup. “Deal,” he says to the barista and holds out his other hand and Lance takes it, shaking the deal into stone. Taking a deep breath, Keith tilts his head back and braces himself as the coffee hits his lips.

Okay, so the coffee tastes worse than dirt, and Keith feels like he’s drinking lava, but it’s not that bad he thinks, as he resists the urge to throw it all back up. But doing so would be losing and Keith doesn’t want to pay for his cake. He continues to chug it, thinking that the faster he gets it down, the less he will have to taste it.

Keith brings the cup down, and thoroughly holding in a cough. “I want the Juniberry Cake.” His voice his raspy, and Lance looks at him with eyes as big as saucers. Keith honestly can’t tell if they’re open with surprise, fear, or if Lance is just that impressed.

“H-how did you drink that without stopping!?” Lance squawks, “I get that you might be one of the people that like their coffee blacker than the void, but that was just made. It was hot enough to burn you!” Huh, maybe he should have waited a few seconds, to let it cool down. Also that explains why his insides are on fire and he can’t feel his tastebuds.

“Can I have that cake?” Keith asks, trying not to be rude, but his mouth is still crowded with the bitter aftertaste.

“O-oh, y-yeah.” Lance looks down to write the order into his notepad thingy, but it almost seems like he is disappointed. Then Keith realizes that that was the point of the deal. To go on a date with him. And that’s probably why the coffee was as hot as the Sun, so it would tip the odds in Lance’s favor. The reason Keith accepted the deal was because both circumstances were good. Maybe he could throw them a bone to share?

Keith averts his eyes to the side, overcome with an odd shyness, that he’s not sure where it came from. “Maybe I could tell you how I drank it if we go out later?” Lance’s face is suddenly one of excitement.

“Yes! Sure! I get off at five!” Keith is taken aback by the immediate answer, but still smiles fondly at Lance, whom looks like he is physically resisting from giving Keith a hug.

-

A little before five, Keith makes his way towards the Altea Coffee Shop.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how a coffee shop works. You guys can probably tell.
> 
> I might write the date, possibly.


End file.
